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Osseus Moon
Entry 200108 “Ooh it’s a shiny thing!... Oh. It’s a death thing.” When Fragmenterra befell the world, many would argue that the Grey Wastes was one of the worst hit areas. While the many that would argue have Grey Waste hailitage, their claim is valid as the entire landscape went from barely hospitable to unable to host agriculture. It was soon after this time that the royals began to near an end to their food stores, albeit much long after the common folk’s had depleted. At this time Harmon Vitriol, Black Crown Apothecary was tasked with finding an alternative to keep bellies full. As the soils of the Wastes were sapped of nutrients, a new crop would require a new source of sustenance and as war raged around them, the only thing that everyone had in vast supply… was bones. With vast array of oozes and goos, boozes and transfusions, Harmon’s hands went to work as his mad mind counted on its braintips every potion mixer that rhymed a little too much for his liking. He knew that the only thing in his collection that fed on bone and bone matter was his close friend Hebeloma aminophilum and while this was its professional title, he tended to call it ‘ghoul fungus’ as they were as aforementioned, close friends. An affinity for calcium was all good and well in terms of having something farmable but what if he could make it propagate itself for the masses? The farmers would never have to lift a finger! He would be beloved by the commoners as the would have so much more time for licking rocks or whatever they did in their spare hours. The next step would be a little bit tricky and sticky even for the cleverest of minds. He would need a carrier, another fungus friend who could act with better spore carrying ability than Ghoul Fungus. It hit him life a brick of tonnes, the perfect pal for his other pal. Pal pals. Grasping the finest sample of cordyceps ''he owned, he cradled it in his hands knowing their tenuous relationship. The ''Cordyceps ''brain, the big floating organ behind the veil that speaks to these told his brother lies and tore their family apart. The past is the past however and the most important thing right now was to make the mushrooms have the sexings. What was birthed that day was beyond what should live in the mortal realms. More fit to be a weapon than a food source, it exists unintelligent, an entity of mass consumption and obliteration. Catalogued as ''Hydroxyapatite placeholdum, most colloquially call it Ossein Moon and none call it a friend. The cap on this specimen grows as a large crystalline dish upturned at its edges that protects the acidic sporangia below. The calcium crystals are much more transparent than in most other occurrences in nature allowing its structure to refract light within its cap and illuminate the surrounding trees on a moonlit night. Found grafted to the spines and skulls of unfortunate animals, some records state examples of 60cm diameter caps on large beasts such as forest bears. This symbiotic relationship between fungus and beast is one sided at best as the beast continually roams while its bones are sapped of nutrients. During this period the beast enters a frenzy that can last weeks where it will scrounge the forests for discarded bones or finding some currently in use. These are consumed so as to sate its host and spare its own calcium for a few minutes longer. Once all useful skeletal matter is depleted in the host, the beast naturally perishes and the mushroom withers and fragments. Now littering the ground, shards still remain luminescent in the moon and retain enough life to find a new host on contact for days. While many beasts kneel down to sniff the fragrant bright thing, unwary travellers have made the same mistake, many unable to make it to medical care in time. As acidic sporangia burst on contact, the volatile compound burrows through armour and flesh alike allowing the spores to latch onto exposed skeleton for the cycle to continue.